Reception Class Newsletter September 2019

Welcome to the Autumn term!  The children are settling in well and have been enjoying sharing their Chatterboxes with us and their friends.  The children have loved meeting their Year 6 buddy too. We have really enjoyed meeting our new families and the familiar faces! This newsletter outlines our plans for this half-term.

Literacy

This term we will be looking at stories and rhymes with familiar settings and predictable and repetitive patterns, simple non-fiction texts and signs, labels, captions, lists and instructions.  The children will begin to learn their sounds and how to write them and will bring home sound cards so that you as parents can support them and see the action that accompanies each sound.  We use the Letters and Sounds Scheme supported by Jolly Phonics.  All the actions and songs can be found online. We will provide a sound book with all the sounds in as we learn them. Please use this at home to support your child but make sure it is in their school bag every day.  You can take the sounds out of the book to make words. As the children are felt to be ready they will be started on our reading scheme and given words to learn to read.  Please write in their Reading Record Book each time you hear them read at home, commenting on any successes or problems.  In the mean-time, all children are welcome to borrow one book from our class collection and we will also visit the library to borrow books.

Poetry Journals

We are trying to build up a bank of poems and rhymes that the children learn by heart.  We hope that you will support us in this by singing, chanting or saying the poem at home on a daily basis so that we can develop a repertoire that will reinforce the link between rhyme, reading and spelling.  The children will bring home their Poetry Journal each Monday in their bag or reading folder.  Please keep the journal in the folder or bag so that we can add a new poem each week.  Children can draw a picture to go with the poem if they wish.

Numeracy

We will be focussing on counting, recognising numbers and reciting number rhymes. We will be finding out about shapes, patterns and measurement and using numbers to sort objects and solve problems. Please reinforce counting as much as possible at home by counting as you go up and down the stairs etc and pointing out the written digits as you are out and about. Each week, we will have a focus number we will learn about – using it in the environment and seeing it represented visually in different ways.

Topic

Our theme for this half term is What do I know about me? After half-term, the theme will be Autumn – the season and Diwali.  This will give us many opportunities to develop our Communication and Language skills as we talk about our families, the things we like, the things we can do and how we are all different.  Our role play area will be set up as a home then Baby Clinic so we can think about how we have grown and changed as part of Understanding the World.  Our Expressive Arts and Design work will be developed through singing songs about ourselves, dancing to music and playing some percussion instruments.  We will also be drawing pictures of our families.  As we explore the different things we can do with our bodies we will be improving our fine and gross motor skills and our Physical Development.  We will do Funky Fingers every day to practice and improve our fine motor skills.  Throughout the term we will be focussing on our Personal, Social and Emotional development as we think about what makes each of us special and learning to work together successfully.  The Golden Rules will support us develop confidence, to make relationships and to manage feelings and behaviour.  We will explore each rule in turn.  For your information they are;

We are kind and helpful, we look after property, we listen, we are honest, we are gentle and we work hard. 

 P.E.

Physical Development is one of the core areas of the EYFS curriculum.  We are active as much as possible daily – fine motor skills will be practiced daily, we run every day and climb as much as possible to strengthen our arms and hands.  As well as this we have two focussed PE lessons each week.

Our P.E. days are Tuesday and Thursday. Please make sure your child has their kit with them (including trainers for when we go outside).  All items should be named.  P.E. kit can stay in school all the time and we will send it home for washing at half-term. If your child is prone to having accidents, it is useful to have a small bag on their peg with a spare change of underwear and uniform to put on.

 House Groups

Each child at Clavering School is in a House Group – named after a person of local significance.  There are 5 houses, each house has a colour and children can earn house points for good behaviour, good manners and hard work.  Children will be in the same house group as their siblings.

Snack

We provide a healthy snack each morning for children in reception.  We ask for a donation of £10 per half term in cash only please.  Please ensure that all money comes to school on a Monday in an envelope with your child’s name, the purpose of the payment and the amount clearly marked.  Please inform us in writing of any special dietary needs or allergies. Many thanks to those of you who have already sent in snack money with the children. Children receive the Government funded free snacks in the afternoons.

We warmly invite parents if you are able to commit, to help us with our lovely social snack time.  This takes place every morning from 10.30-11.15.  It involves helping to prepare snack and then washing up afterwards. This is a lovely way to see what we are up to in class.  If you are able to help please let us know as soon as possible.  The school will need to make sure all the necessary checks are in place for this.

 Parent helpers – we rely on parents generously donating their time for snack and forest school, hearing readers, admin and any trips we go on.  All parent helpers for snack, reading and forest school must be DBS checked and have a meeting with Ms Allsop before you can come into help. If you think you may be able to help – even for one forest school session, please let us know then the office and they will need copies of at least two forms of identification. Many thanks for your consideration.  We do understand that some parents have younger children to care for and may work.

Tapestry – you should have received an activation email in August. Please make sure you check your emails to activate your access to Tapestry. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have not given us your email address or have not received the email.  Please note, you can put BOTH parents and Grandparents on too!  Please do read and enjoy the observations and respond where possible. You can also add what your child does at home for us to read! Thank you to those parents who have already commented. This is such lovely feedback for us.

GDPR – we do carry out a lot of whole class and group observations. Please let us know if you do not wish your child’s photo/ name to be on group or whole class observations.

Bits and Pieces:

• All the children at Clavering School are encouraged to drink water. It is school policy that they only drink water. The children bring a named water bottle each day and take it home at the end of the day to be washed and re-filled.
• We try to go outside everyday even if it is raining; please make sure your child brings a coat to school so that they can have some fresh air and exercise.
• Please return the forms from your induction pack and snack money as soon as possible – intimate care, all about me, the technology survey and any proud clouds.
• We discourage children from bringing toys from home to school (unless it is in connection with our topic); they get very upset if special toys are lost or damaged so we would appreciate your support in this.
• As mentioned at the Induction Meeting, we will be visiting Snail Wood on a regular basis for our Forest School sessions.  On Forest School days we request that children are brought directly to Snail Wood and collected from there at 11.30 to be brought back to school.  More information about this will be available at the Meet the Teacher evening on 18^th September. Forest School dates:

Friday 18^th October, 15^th November, 29^th November, 13^th December

• Please check your child’s Home School Folder daily for letters / poetry journal and reading books.
• Please make sure all clothing and school bags are clearly named. We have noticed that some children have brought in a book bag and a school rucksack. They only need to bring one bag to and from school each day.
• If your child is to be collected at the end of the school day by somebody else, please let the school know by telling the teacher on the gate in the morning, ringing / emailing the office or a note in their school bag. In addition, if your child is to go home on the bus / Oliver’s Lodge / Willows, please inform us of those days.
• Full days begin on Monday 30^th September.
• Part-time – the children can get very tired and there is the option of them going home for this term only on a Tuesday and Thursday at 1.15pm. There is also the option of Friday afternoon if we feel that it is needed.  We will keep you informed if we feel that the part-time option would suit your child.
• Meet the Teacher – Wednesday 18^th September 6.15-7pm
• Parents Evening – Wednesday 23^rd October / Thursday 24^th October.
• INSET day – no children in on Friday 25^th October.
• Tuesday 3^rd December – Audley End Visit on the Santa Train to halve the cost this year we would like to arrange left sharing to this event instead of booking a coach.
• Reception Nativity – Thursday 12^th December am.
• Proud Clouds – please send in any achievements to share with the class and to put onto Tapestry e.g. trying new foods, swimming, riding a bike, caring for a sibling, telling the truth, counting, recognising sounds etc

Ways you can help at home:

• Encourage independence – dressing particularly shoes, socks sand tights, using the toilet etc
• We also encourage the children to put on their coat by laying it on a table or floor hood towards them, then they put their arms in the sleeves and lift it over their heads.
• Read with your child as often as possible.
• Sing songs and rhymes and count and search for numbers around them.
• Fun mark-making / writing opportunities – making patterns in bath bubbles or sticks in the mud.
• Fine motor skills – threading, squeezing playdough, tweezering. Big arm movements painting with brush and water making rainbows on the ground or a fence. All fun but a vital precursor to writing.

We hope this letter has answered any questions you may have, but please don’t hesitate to speak to either of us if there is anything you don’t understand or are concerned about. Best wishes for a successful term,

Alison Course and Wendy Berrett